


King of the Dark

by TheTacticianAlchemist



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Crying, Family Feels, Hoshido | Birthright Route, happy birthday precious tomato prince here's your gift
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-19 08:30:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7353538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTacticianAlchemist/pseuds/TheTacticianAlchemist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>King Leo closes his eyes for the last time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	King of the Dark

“Leo…”

The king freezes. _That voice..._ He looks up from his reports. 

In the doorway of his study stands Xander.

The once crown-prince of Nohr smiles, a soft expression that leaves Leo weak. He’s forgotten what it used to look like, memory and wishful thinking mixing together and fading over time. Leo opens his mouth to speak, but no words can come to him.

“You’ve fallen asleep at your desk again, little brother,” Xander says, the scolding more affectionate than anything. “You always used to do that.”

“I got better at learning when to give up and get my rest,” Leo says, nearly whispering. “Niles and…” Odin’s been gone for years now, hasn’t he? Gone home, with regret in his eyes, Selena and Laslow with him wearing mirrored expressions. “Niles still has to bug me every once in awhile, though. And those pesky guards….”

Xander chuckles. “Still as stubborn as ever, I see.” He pauses, and his smile falls. “I am so sorry, Leo.”

Leo surges to his feet, reports, fatigue, aches and pains forgotten. “You needn’t apologize, Brother. I’ve been doing just fine as a ruler--Camilla… Camilla once told me I was doing just as you would’ve.”

“And you have. I couldn’t be prouder.” Xander shifts his weight. “...Will you walk with me?”

Leo’s response is immediate. His boots clack against the floor as he hurries to his brother. 

He stops, then looks down at his hands. They’re thin and pale, no longer calloused and gnarled from age.

Leo looks up and meets his brother’s saddened gaze, then spins on his heel. His body sits in his favorite chair, slumped to the slide, grey hair shadowing his face. Yet his shawl is wrapped around him, and he appears merely asleep at his desk.

“F-Forrest…” Tears appear in Leo’s eyes--not for himself, despite his unexpected passing. “I didn’t get to say goodbye to him.”

He wasn’t able to say goodbye to his siblings either, when they passed.

Xander puts his hand on Leo’s shoulder. “You’ve raised Forrest well. You will be proud of the king he will become, I’m sure. And one day, you will see him again. For the time being, Camilla will take good care of him.”

“Forrest....” Leo stares at his body for a long moment, then turns to his brother. “Where is--?”

“Leo!”

The scene changes in an instant to a grand ballroom, the floor polished to reflect the soft white candles and purple banners. Arms wrap around his waist, and he has to spin to keep from toppling over. Elise giggles as she plants her feet underneath her body and stares up at him with her bright violet eyes. “Leo! I’ve been waiting so long--dance with me, like you used to! Please?”

“Y-yes, of course,” he says, breathless. He shakes as he takes her hand, placing his grip at her side. She grins and puts her free hand on his shoulder, and he tries to lead them into a waltz--she overtakes his control and speeds up the dance, her steps impeccable while his are more like stumbles.

“Xander has been practicing with me a lot,” she explains. “Am I going too fast for you?”

“No, no,” he insists. He can barely see her through his wet eyes. “Do you want me to spin you?”

“You don’t even have to ask!” she says, beaming, and immediately pulls away, keeping just one hand in his as she twirls under his arm.

“I’m a little out of practice,” he says, his throat tight. “Am I doing all right?”

“Perfect!” she says, stopping for a moment. She smiles at him. “It’s like you never stopped!”

The tears finally break free from his eyes, and he falls to his knees and pulls Elise close to his chest.

“I-I’m so sorry,” he sobs. “I should--I should have stopped you from going. I thought to--b-because I had the crystal, I knew what Father really was--but then it was--I could have saved you, Elise!”

“Leo…” She raises her hand to his head and strokes his hair. “It’s okay, Leo. It was my choice to keep going. I would have kept going even if you tried to keep me back.”

Leo hiccups through his sobs. “I-I thought you would try that, whenever I thought about what I could’ve done differently…” He hugs her tighter. “I’m so sorry, Elise.”

“Don’t be sorry, Leo.” This time, it’s Xander, resting on one knee and putting his hand on Leo’s shoulder. “I was the one too stubborn to do what was right.”

Leo shakes his head. “Brother… I--”

“Leo.”

He doesn’t recognize the voice. He blinks more tears from his eyes and looks over Elise’s shoulder to see a man wearing black Nohrian armor standing a few feet away. Beneath his blond beard is a line of thin lips, and he shifts, like he’s nervous.

A hazy memory surfaces in Leo’s mind, of being a small child lifted up onto a lap.

“Father…?”

Garon gives a hesitant smile. “Leo, my son. You’ve been quite the accomplished king in your lifetime. Far greater than I was, too weak to resist Anankos’s power.” He pauses. “I do not deserve your forgiveness.”

“Father…” Leo remembers what he saw in the orb, the grotesque form that his father became after becoming lost, and the knowledge he gained after his journey to the Bottomless Canyon. 

He pulls away from his siblings and stands. Slowly, he comes to Garon’s side.

“I’ve missed you, Father.” He feels no shame as he wipes at his wet face. “I’ve missed all of you.”

**Author's Note:**

> it's Leo's birthday and what's my gift? him dying after BR route of course


End file.
